The tendency of human beings to move in synchrony with an auditory rhythmical pulse is considered a cross-cultural universal (Nettl, 2000). Music and movement is intricately connected, and in some cultures, the term for music that refers merely to its acoustic component and excludes dance is even lacking. The link between auditory and motor systems seems exceptional when it comes to timing. While humans tend to tune in to an auditory beat by head nodding, toe tapping and humming, they do not feel the urge to spontaneously move to periodic visual pulses such as a bouncing ball (Zatorre et al., 2007). Remarkably, integration of auditory input and motor output is at the heart of what has been regarded as the most elementary function of the nervous system – the brain as a sensorimotor machine (Jeannerod, 1985; York & Steinberg, 1994).
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